Sony has a lot of work to do in the smartphone scene. It’s losing out to rival manufacturers and some analysts believe it may need more than a few successes to get back in the game.
The Xperia Neo, recently released in Australia, may give it a chance. It’s a sleek Android-powered phone that has the advantage of being affordable as well. But is it for the entrepreneur?
The Xperia Neo features a 3.7 inch touchscreen display, 320MB of internal storage and a MicroSD slot with capacity of up to 32GB, with an 8GB card included.
It also features WiFi, and the ability to create a WiFi hotspot, along with a microUSB connection. An eight megapixel camera with LED flash is included, allowing video calling as well.
The device features Android 2.3, Gingerbread, and is powered by a 1Ghz processor. Stereo FM radio is included, along with a digital compass, Adobe Flash support and voice commands. It’s 13mm thick, and 57mm wide.
The hardware of the Xperia Neo has been well received. Engadget has written that back, home and menu buttons are all solid, “with virtually no wobble, looseness or obstinacy”. It also praised the use of backlights.
Of particularly praise was the 1Ghz processor, which the site said will handle “everyday tasks, apps and multitasking with aplomb”.
“For the most part, you’ll be able to video chat on Skype, take photo notes in Evernote and scroll Spotify playlists without issue.”
ZDNet.com.au also praised the screen, saying it benefits from software that makes the most of colour ranges. But it also said the real strength of the device is in the user experience.
“The end result is an easy-to-use Android smartphone with smooth performance most of the time,” it said, noting the timescape app, and the mediascape media gallery.
“This software bump doesn’t just improve video and images played back on the device, but also media seen on a TV or a monitor after connecting the Neo using its built-in micro-HDMI port.”
PC World also had good things to say, highlighting the HDMI port, and said although the camera app lacks a few settings seen in other phones, it nevertheless is “intuitively laid out with options on the right, and recently taken photographs on the left”.
However, it also said the device has a below-average battery life and that most users will only get about 24 hours use out of each charge.
Engadget also criticised some performance issues, saying a cold boot took up to two minutes.
“Each tick of the clock makes you wonder if it’s crashed, and every muttered “Mississippi” recalls other phones you’ve owned that booted in a quarter of the time.”
“You’ll have to contend with a ridiculously slow boot-up time, and a keyboard that will often hinder your ability to bash out decently spelled messages on the fly.”
ZDNet also said that while the phone has features that aren’t on some other handsets, it criticised the camera and says it doesn’t compare to the HTC Incredible or the Samsung Galaxy S II.
“As a sum of its parts, the Xperia Neo stands side by side with the Xperia Arc, but it still feels like the ugly stepsister in comparison.”
There is a lot to like about the Neo. It’s sleek, solid and by all accounts does everything it needs to. But in terms of software performance, it’s certainly not as smooth as some of the alternatives on the market.
If you’re after an iPhone alternative that isn’t as expensive as some of the more top of the line Android phones out there, and you aren’t relying on it for extensive internet usage and business work, then the Neo will do just fine.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
